Case Closed: Love kills
by mar speedsman
Summary: it's been 10 years,all hopes for Jimmy are lost,but love tends to find it's way,and I have to say that's one of the weirdest! a vacation, murder, and a killer who won't let go of the past. love confessions, but how? will Rachel wait for Jimmy ten more years though he's dead? will he tell her the truth? find out in this -not so good- Fic I'm better at summarys than fics! not revised
1. Love Kills: Part 1

_**Note: hey guys...sorry for not updating in a long time,and sorry-er for writing**_ **yet** _ **another fiction,but I can't help it really! I'm all into Detective Conan for the time being,so I can't think of anything else.**_

 _ **This**_ **was** _ **supposed to be a one-shot,but the story got too long... but that's not how a chapter driven fiction is like; the chapter has alot of unrelated stuff,so it's more like part 1 of a 2 parts episode. I'll try to finish the story soon,but in a week or so school starts...I wish I could finish**_ **one** _ **interesting story (I hope you like that story,even though the fiction lacks research...and maybe some vocabulary...)**_

 _ **names and dialogues are all Case Closed version,but the setting is the usual undubbed.**_

 _ **sorry if my style sucks, but I'm no writer,I'm more of an artist,but not that good to make fancomics (for fan art though,check my deviantart account)**_

 _ **P.S: I also used a website called behindthename,to research names to use.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Why'd I write fanfiction for something I own? is that even necessary?**_

* * *

 **Love** **Kills** : (Part 1)

* * *

It's been 10 years since that fateful day,when Jimmy Kudo ceased to exist,and Conan Edogawa took his place...shortly after was the birth of the sleeping sleuth,and a desperation,for Jimmy to return to his normal body. At first it was like a walk in the park. ' _I'll find those two men in black,get the drug,and Agasa will create the cure!_ ' he thought. he thought it would take a week or two,and everything would be back to normal,Edogawa will be nothing but memory,that no one really cared for much. But time passed by,two weeks became two months,then four,eight,a whole year. and before he new it,Edogawa dug himself into people's lives,he became more than an alternate identity to Jimmy Kudo. he became a friend,a foster child,a _famous_ foster child for crying out loud! people would run to his side for autographs,not noticing the famed detective,the sleeping sleuth himself! he became known as the KID hunter. but non of this really mattered though,because out of all what he became,the most shocking thing was,he was like a brother to Rachel. now,even if Jimmy won this tough battle,and defeated conan,once and for all,Rachel would still grief,for she'd have lost a brother that day. or he could tell her the truth and risk dying, it was his call anyway. either way, he may not have to destroy Edogawa,after all,Jimmy lost a long time ago. here he is,wearing his high school uniform,looking just like he always wished he'd look,yet he wasn't Jimmy,He was still Conan,wearing the same damn glasses. being as innocent...scratch that, _acting_ as innocent as he's always acted,being the straight _As_ kid and all. you'd think he's better of as Conan,he gets to relive 10 years of his life,fixing all the mistakes he made. also,now he has friends,and a family...maybe he's not as rich as he's always been but still,it's mentally a better life. but there's that one person,that was more valuable to Jimmy than Conan. _Rachel_.

a tear threatened to fall down,but Conan rubbed it with his sleeve before it could drop. if anyone asked he'd say he was just sleepy and was about to yawn, but no one did,he was in his room. the room that Richard decided to add to their house after five years of freeloading. though,I wouldn't really call it free loading when when Mrs. Kudo,or rather 'Mrs. Edogawa' gives the Moores about a million yen each year. that's enough money for another room right?

Conan decided to stop staring at himself in the mirror (finally) and went down to the agency below,there he saw a beautiful young woman of about 26, she had messy hair,but at the same time her hair was unique, strings of hair keeping her hair behind her shoulders. she was dressed in a shirt and a skirt. nothing much,but to conan,anything looked beautiful on her. the said woman,Rachel, was preparing breakfast. while a man in his late 40's was whining from hunger. he looked like a zombie,probably because he got to wake up early;they don't call him the sleeping sleuth for nothing! but I'm exaggerating though; aside from his messy hair,his unshaved beard, and his sleepy eyes,he was pretty normal. he just gotta shave,comb his hair,of course after taking a shower and he'll look like this: a man with a small mustache, hair jelled back,aside from 2 locks that stay above his forehead. right now he's wearing his pajamas.

"oh,good morning Conan!" Rachel greeted,looking up from the food she was preparing

"uh,good morning Rachel" Conan replied,snapping out of his state of daydreaming,if you could call it that.

Richard didn't seem to care. _that old man,he'll never change!_ Jimmy thought,the expression -that no one ever seemed to notice- on his face,explained that he was making fun of the man. after all,why should he care for a guy who doesn't care for him.

but did Richard really not care?

Conan sat at his place at the table,preparing his mouth for his -hopefully- future wife's delicious breakfast. when Rachel gave the all clear,Richard went to his place on the table,while Rachel went for hers,after laying the food on the table that is. and so they began eating as a happy family,or did they?

they all ate in silence...it's been 3 months since Jimmy's death,but Rachel couldn't really get over him. Part of Conan wished she would; he doesn't want to see her suffer. but the other part still had hope they might rejoice. So Rachel was too busy thinking about Jimmy to talk,and Conan was to busy thinking of recent events. Richard was half asleep, but he could see the sadness in his only daughter's eyes,even though it never met his.

"you know,you should get over him."Richard started " I mean he's-"

"DON'T EVEN _SAY_ THAT!" Rachel yelled,then realizing what she did,she calmed down and said "he's not dead! he can't be."

"but Rachel-"

"He's not dead. he promised me he'd be back after he was done with all his cases."

 _'Rachel'_ Jimmy thought.

"hey Rachel? Can we go to Tropical Land after school? I'd really like to have some fun!" Conan suggested,hoping she'd forget about Jimmy and have some fun.

"yeah,you should go with the brat,to keep him company and all." Richard stood to Conan's side,for once,even if it was for Rachel. weather he knew Conan's motive or not,he didn't know,but they were thinking the same thing, _that_ he knows.

"I don't know..." Do I really have to say this was Rachel?

"C'mon,it's gonna be fun,and you'll put your mind off the stress!" He begged her,yes Conan did. why'd Richard beg his daughter...scratch that.

"...okay,why not"

* * *

One hour later,Conan had acquired the tickets that would get them in the theme park. it was already noon,so they didn't have all day to try all the rides. Conan kept asking Rachel to pick a ride for them to try,but she wasn't really in the mood for one, so Jimmy decided to pick a ride Rachel liked...not the roller coaster though, Rachel was stricken by Jimmy's death,reminding her of a murder Jimmy solved ten years ago wasn't a good idea. in fact, Tropical Land wasn't a good choice at all,but it was the nearest theme park he could find.

The day went as planned,luckily. the first ride didn't fail in cheering Rachel up,and soon she was picking the rides herself,and having fun with Conan,her little brother. though I wouldn't say the same thing for _him_ , he was glad Rachel was feeling OK,but he couldn't be so happy knowing he's the reason Rachel is suffering.

right now the 'couple' are sitting on a bench,eating sugar candy. it wasn't really 'silent' per-se; the crowds of families and couples talking echoed though their ears,but they weren't really talking,so when I say Conan broke the silence,I mean he decided to start a conversation.

"so...Rach...el?" he didn't really wanna sound like Jimmy,especially since he got his beautiful voice back. (yeah,when you shrink to the size of a kid you tend to love your real voice)

"yeah?" she was pulled out of whatever thought it was she was thinking about,probably concerning Jimmy.

"so...did you have fun?"

"yeah,of course I did! you make anything fun,Conan"

"huh? thanks!" Conan rubbed behind his head

"you know...ever since you made it to high school,you looked like him so much..." Rachel said,giving a sad smile to the ground below.

' _uhh...that talk again!_ ' Rachel never really told him that,but he heard her say something similar in a dream once. "uh,Rachel..." he was thinking about telling her the truth,and relax her of her agony...but then again "I...miss Jimmy too...but,he left...and we need to learn to move on..." Rachel could tell that he had trouble telling her that,little did she know he was saying ' _forget about me'_

"you're right,I should." she gave conan a smile,but Jimmy knew she just said that to let Conan stop worrying,or maybe he just hoped what she said wasn't true.

"so,let's go home" she finally said

* * *

The next day,Rachel went shopping with Serena,to take her mind of Jimmy;she won't get much in life mourning over Jimmy. of course,when you say Serena,it's either shopping -in its many forms- or a KID heist.

On the other side,there's Conan,he stayed at the place he long since called home, Richard was down at the agency,sitting on his desk,wearing his grey suit and black-ish tie, drinking beer,and watching Yoko-related stuff. he's long since lost his 'sleeping sleuth' part of him,since Conan could solve cases without looking suspicious now. yes,that means Richard lost his fame and customers.

Conan himself though,was on his bed,in his bedroom (duh!), phone in hand, he was dialing for Harley.

* * *

"Rachel,are you okay?" a concerned and worried Serena asked,in worry and concern.

Rachel stayed silent; she wanted to say: yeah,I'm okay,and laugh it of,but she couldn't carry that burden all by herself. "no...I'm not" she decided to say in the end,yet she couldn't hide the depression in her voice. "I...I miss him...I miss him _so_ much!"

* * *

" _Yo! kudo!"_ Harley greeted over the phone _"'sup?"_

"not so good,honestly" came Conan's reply

" _what is it,man?"_

"it's Rachel...she's still thinking about Jimmy" Conan started "I think she misses me"

* * *

" _WHAT?_ " Serena asked,shocked at what Rachel just said "Rachel,it's been what? three months? what's happened has happened,Rachel,and it wasn't your fault. you can't keep dwelling over the past like this."

Rachel didn't respond,but Serena sure didn't convince her.

"I know what'll make you feel better" she smiles one of her weird smiles when she has some evil scheme on her mind "I'll set you up on a blind date!"

"Serena!"

* * *

" _well,not that I ain't feelin' bad for her or anythin',but c'mon man,what'm I supposed t'do about it?"_ Harley asked.

"oh,I was just hoping you and Kristien would drop by, like you always do. y'know,keep her preoccupied."

 _"I donno,man. there ain't anymore landmarks in Osaka we haven't visited 10 times or so."_

"Harley! I'm serious!"

 _"Okay,okay. I'll figure somethin' out...call ya in 10"_

 _'Rachel...I-I'm sorry...'_

* * *

And so the day passed by, Conan bored, Richard drunk, and Rachel came back with a ton of stuff she probably doesn't need. To cheer her up,Serena paid for Rachel's shopping,not that she didn't by the cheapest she could either way. In fact, if Serena wasn't so persistent, she would've paid for everything herself. she doesn't use her friends you see.

Later that evening,Harley called back. Conan answered right away,he's been waiting for that call for hours!

"' _Call ya in ten'_ you said!" Conan mimicked

 _"sorry man,"_ Harley was rubbing the back of his head on the other side _"it took me some time to plan a trip that_ wouldn't _involve murder...well vacation not trip."_ and that's a good decision,that's no time for murder cases

"so? what's the plan?"

 _"well,it ain't really in Osaka. but that ain't important as long as we're all present,right man?"_

"I thought I made myself clear about _that_."

" _well we're goin' to some Japanese style inn,on a remote island. it should be fun,there's a good lookin' beach there,and there's a lot of liquors for Richard."_

"hey hey,come again? did you say a remote island? that's not a place for a murder _at all!_ " Conan said sarcastically

" _no man,it's totally safe,it's a quiet,peaceful place,no creepy legends or anythin', and the island's uninhabitable except for a small town,and the inn's not nearby."_

"what,it's not? why?"

" _well they wanna give the tourists a good feelin' of how it'd be outside the life of the city 'n all."_

"well,you're our guide,so you _better_ not mess this up!"

 _"y'can count on me!"_

"so is Kristin coming?"

 _"yeah,it was her idea in the first place"_

"ok.I'll tell Rach and the old man,thanks" and with that he hung up

"hey, Kudo,WAIT!" Harley tried from the other side,but it was to late anyhow. ' _dammit,why d'ya hang up like that,man?'_ he thought.

elsewhere, or actually back at the agency,Conan just opened the door to get in,calling the family. "hey guys! Harley just called!"

"really Conan?" Rachel said,Richard barely looking away from the TV.

"yeah they want to take us on vacation to an inn in a small island"

"not Osaka?"

"no,he said they ran out of Landmarks" he smirked.

"really?" she laughed "so when will we go on that vacation?"

"uh..." Conan was speechless,Harley had told him everything but when they'll pick them up. "just a sec." Conan ran to his phone to call Harley

 _"Will ya stop hangin' up on me?!"_ Conan jumped out of his place,Harley shouted at him out of the blues. _"we'll be comin' in two days to pick ya up. it should be thursday,so we'll probably be here by 5 sharp. ya better be ready when we come,Pack yer bags 'n all. see ya man."_

"Harley,wait!" but it was too late, Hartwell already hung up,probably in revenge.

Conan decided to just go tell them.

* * *

So two days went pretty normal,going to school like normal,or college...or staying at the agency waiting for a case. they were hardly waiting for the weekend-long vacation with their Osakan pals...well _pals_ most to Rachel and least to Richard. on Thursday at about five,Harley and Kristen,now couples,had arrive, bags in hands and shoulders. Harley wore a dark green T shirt, a blue Jacket and jeans. Kristin wore brown skinny long-shorts and a sleeveless shirt.

"Hello Conan" Kristin greeted Conan,who was the first to respond to the agency door's knock. "hey guys!" she greeted as she went inside,leaving behind her luggage at the hallway.

"walkin' with the luggage from the station to the agency! ya sure ow me one Ku-Cunan"

"it's Conan" he looked at him coldly,really for almost slipping for the umpteenth time!

"hey Rach,where's the old man?" Harley asked after greeting Rachel...do I need to tell you such trivial things,dear reader?

"he's bringing the rented car,to get our luggage"

" _THANK_ YOU!" Harley may've as well just kissed her hands,but decided crying was enough to show his appreciation.

"honestly Harley! man up a little!" Kristin said "I was carryin' luggage too,but ya don't see me complainin'"

Harley glared at her,he was about to shout something to defend himself with,but Moore interrupted him "oh,you guys are here,you can start packing now" Richard said,throwing the car key to Harley,Harley barely caught it,then feel on the floor,resting his back to the wall.

"can't we rest a little?" Harley asked in disbelief,silently cursing at his own luck.

Rachel,pitying Harley for exhausting himself just for her -yes,she knew- decided to Pack extra "you can rest Harley,I'll pack your stuff"

"uh n-no,you don't need to-"

"Come on,it's the least I can do for the trouble you got yourself into." Rachel said with a smile. Harley was reluctant,but he was too tired,so he accepted her offer.

* * *

in the train,Conan, Harley and Kristin sat on the right couch,while Rachel and Richard sat on the left,both clockwise. Richard was sleeping,as usual. Rachel was staring at the window,Conan staring at her. Harley and Kristin were talking together.

"Rachel? what's on your mind?" Conan asked

"oh nothing,just enjoying the view" She looked back to the window

"hey,why don't we play a game to pass the time?" he asked everyone,but he didn't really care for anyone other than Rachel

"so,what's on yer mind?" Harley asked,after Conan succeeded in gaining his attention.

"let's play a word game! each one of us picks a word alphabetically according to his turn."

"I dunno man,it sounds too easy,I mean there's a gazillion words that starts with As,Bs,and so on"

"well then,to make it more interesting, let's add a subject. we only pick words that relate to that subject."

"okay,that sounds fun" Kristin claimed "so what subject should we pick?"

"How about Ellery Queen novels?" Harley suggested

"no! Conan Doyle!" you know who fought back

"Queen!"

"Doyle!"

"how about we just pick names? this way we'll all be able to play." Rachel suggested, the 2 guys decided to end their little war and agree.

"OK,let's play clockwise...whose first?" Harley asked

"I will" Conan said "um...a...a...amy." Rachel giggled "what?" he asked

(note to the reader: [Conan] [Harley] [Kristin]

[Rachel] [Richard] )

"Ben"

"Conan" Kristin smirked slightly.

"Danny"...and they went on and on and on till they got to 'U'

"Ulric"Conan said "it means wolf power,it's a rare English name" he decided to say that when they all stared at him

"Vikki"

"'W'...Walter"

"X...X...X-men?...oh, Xavier!"

"finally...he's like the-"

"Harley!" Kristin scolded him.

"uh,sorry"

" 'Y'?..." Conan asked,searching for a name in his giant dictionary of his

"YOKO!" Richard yelled proudly,feeling victorious,as the others around him were stunned by his sudden interference.

"Dad? you're awake?"

"yeah,I've been trying to sleep,but I couldn't,thanks to a certain couple" he stared at Harley and Kristin "once you started playing your game,I decided to pretend to sleep,then yell Yoko at my turn"

"but daaad~ it wasn't your turn" Rachel complained

"but it was,you see you were going clockwise: Conan,Harley,Kristin,you,then me. it was your turn at X,now at Y,it's mine. Baaahahahahahaa" he started laughing manically,Conan staring at him like he always did,his expression stating how stupid he thought he was.

* * *

"That's our stop, lets go." Kristin said. they all carried their luggage and followed Kristin to a ship. it wasn't a huge luxurious ship, but it wasn't a small boat big enough for them either. it was good enough for a two hour travel.

On the ship,people kept chatting,sleeping,sitting,or watching the view. but not just the gang,there were a few more people,four or five. Conan felt a creepy chill crawl up his spine. but he had that a lot,he was always on the lookout for men in black,you know. he searched for Rachel,and found her enjoying the view of the sea,on the tip of the ship, and so decided to go talk to her.

"Hey Rachel." he started

"Hey Conan" she gave him a smile

out from behind they heard a man's voice "Beautiful view,isn't it?" the man said

"yeah" she replied

"used to come here all the time with my girlfriend" he said,his tone turning to that of a sad, mourning man.

"what happened to your girlfriend?" Rachel asked,Conan just listened

"she died,about less than a year ago." he simply said.

"yeah,my boyfriend died this year too." Conan mentally kicked himself,for having to hear her talk about him like he wasn't there

"cruel world,huh?" he asked,but Rachel didn't reply. "my name's Vladimir,we might wanna introduce,since will meet each others again in the inn." he said " Vladimir Orlov, but you can just call me Vlad"

Vlad was about 28 years old, he was short,but not too short,he was 2 inchs shorter than Rachel,he had a muscular build,a wide,square face,and a wide chin. he looked like Vodka,without the chin crease. he had spiky dark brown hair.

"I'm Rachel,nice to meet you,that kid here is Conan,he's sort of like my brother." She looked at Conan smiling.

"hey" he said ' _hey, hey! I'm no Kid! I'm your age.'_

"hey kid" Vlad said "I'll be seein' you then." with that he walks away.

* * *

"...oh how romantic!" Conan and Rachel heard Kristin's comment as they entered the cabin. (I shoulda done more research,sorry.) Kristin was hugging Harley's arm,they were talking to another couple,and the girl seemed to be hugging the guy's arm as well.

"all personnel,this is the captain speaking,we've reached our destination." the captain shouted from outside.

"we'll be seeing you later then" the man said

"bye" the woman followed hugging his arm.

And so,the tourists' luggage was taken by the crew to the inn,for maximum comfort on their little trip. so the gang rode a bus,that stopped near a wooden bridge, and they started walking from there. the bridge ends were tied to the ground with ropes,but the bridge itself was made of wood and was safe to walk above with a ton of luggage. after they passed the bridge,they continued on foot,through the jungle till they reached the inn,which was near the beach. the tour guide explained -to a complaining Richard- that the path they took was for the tourists to experience an adventure,walking through the jungle and all.

and with that Conan and Harley went to their room with their luggage,to prepare the room. put the clothes in closets,put their books on desks,etc. the others dd the same thing, Rachel and Kristin in a room, while Richard took a room for himself.

and so,they all prepared for a long slumber,tomorrow will be a big day!

* * *

 _ **The next day they'll...I dunno,do something fun...until someone gets murdered.**_

* * *

The next day,Conan woke up to see Harley's messy bed empty of any creatures,he got out of bed,dressed in a T-shirt and Shorts,wore his glasses and went over to Rachel/Kristin's room-that was beside his. he knocked on the door,and as he expected, Harley opened. "yo! Conan. it's 'bout time you woke up,man!"

"Good morning guys" Conan greeted

"Good morning Conan" Rachel greeted back

"Mornin'" Kristin greeted simultaneously.

"Conan,can you go wake dad up? it's almost breakfast time." Rachel asked

"okay" he replied.

Conan went over to Richard's room,which was beside Rach-stin's,and knocked on the door "hey,Old man! wake up!" he yelled "hey! WAKE UP!"

The door opened violently,to the inside of course. "I'm up! I'm _UP!_ " Richard yelled back,almost hitting Conan on his head,but he dodged in time.

"get ready for breakfast,we're in the other room,bye." he said in a hurry before Richard recovered and tried to punch him on the forehead again.

 _'That damn kid"_ he thought,going back to his room to get dressed and ready.

* * *

They went downstairs to the little restaurant affiliated with the inn. of course,it was Japanese style. everyone sat on the big table to eat breakfast,and they ate fish,as usual. no wonder Japanese men can't stand sweets. people kept chatting together about countless things,once Vlad recognized Rachel,he sat besides her, but no one minded 'cause Richard sat between two pretty ladies, which meant Conan sat on Rachel's other side,Harley besides him,Kristin not leaving his side. beside Kristin were the two lovers, who were introduced by Kristin as Kobe Tyler and Anima Addison. On the other side were Amethyst Green, Richard,Sierra Lopez, Evelyn Blake, and Arline Blake, his wife. beside her was a weird,creepy man who didn't talk to anyone.

After breakfast the gang decided to go to the beach, before the sun became to intense,the last thing they needed is for Harley to get sunburned!

and so girls were dressed in swimsuits,guys wore swim-shorts and Richard kept his light blue shirt and dusty yellow shorts on,preferring to rest under the umbrella,on the beach. the youths were having fun swimming,more specifically: the girls were splashing water on the guys childishly, and the guys preferring to ignore their immature-ish behavior...or more accurately,trying to. after giving up they decided to fight back, and so the war has started

"Take that Harley!" Kristin yelled in enjoyment as she splashed him

"glu-" he chocked "ok,you asked for it,sistah!" he splashed some water back at her,but some of it hit Conan,who was splashing Rachel, and that's because salt water is not good for the eyes at all.

"Harley!" he complained

"sorry,man. I can't see is all!"

"hey Conan" Conan instinctively turned his head to the caller and- SPLASH! he water hit him before he knew it,and he heard Rachel giggle,though he couldn't see her clearly, _'Damn salt water!'_

"Conan,retreat,retreat!" Harley ordered,jumping in the water and swimming away from the enemy,still unable to see.

" _retreat_?" Conan asked

Harley went back to a safe distance,finally having a chance to rub his -now blood red- eyes "it's a tactical retreat,or would ya rather shoot blind?

Conan was finally convinced and retreated himself,Harley swam past the girls,water hitting them hard in the process. "yer cornered,y'may as well give up,ladies"

"Rach,do it!" Kristin commissioned,and so,Rachel looked dead serious,and I do mean dead,because whoever she looks at with that look is a dead man walking! before Harley could say 'holy frikin' $&^#' Rachel kicked the water so hard,a wave taller than his head engulfed him,and he was sent back to Osaka.

 _'three against one? no fair!'_ Jimmy thought,counting Rachel as two,not one.

While Harley was pushed back to shore, the girls were overwhelming Conan with waves of water,until Conan finally gave up

"okay,okay! I give up!"

"yay!" Kristin cheered

"victory!" Rachel high-fived Kristin.

"It's only cuz we were goin' easy on ya!" Harley protested after swimming back to the sea,then they stopped acting childishly and swam like normal people,until about 12

"Okay guys, 'm leavin'; don' wanna get darker than I am already." Harley said,heading back to shore

"yeah,we should go too." Kristin said

"C'mon,Conan" Rachel called

"coming" he answered

Conan followed Harley and the girls -but mostly Harley- to the washrooms to take a shower,in the meantime,Richard was chit-chatting some nonsense with Amethyst that I don't really wanna know,or write.

" _Jeez_ ,what's taken Sierra so long?" the girl in bikini asked,it's been a good hour since Lopez went to the washroom.

"huh? how long has it been already?" Richard asked,taking his wristwatch out of his breast-pocket (the shirt's pocket) he glanced at the time,once he realised it's been a whole hour,realization exploded in his face " _what?_ it's been a _whole_ hour?" as if on queue,Richard heard Kristin and Rachel scream like they had seen a ghost. just as he heard that,Richard Ran to the ladies' washroom,to see his daughter and Kristin hugging each others,lying on the floor in fear...no, they were terrified,looking at one of the shower _(rooms?)._ the door was wide open,he went to see what was there,to see Conan and Harley Examining the dead body of Sierra Lopez.

* * *

"S-Sierra?" Amethyst asked in shock from behind Richard

"Harley...is she?" Richard asked

"She's dead." Conan said,sorrow nowhere to be seen in his voice.

Richard nodded,and looked at the inn attendants who gathered around the scene "Tell Mr. Mizushima to call the police immediately!" Richard ordered no one in particular. "no one get near the crime scene at anytime!" he ordered,this was his chance to prove he was still the great detective and he ain't throwin' that chance away!

"hmm,it seems the victim was hit with a blunt object,the hit to the head must have caused her death." Richard stated the -to the young detectives- obvious, seeing as how the head is... _was_ bleeding. there were no evidence that a sharp object pierced through the skull

"hmm,so since this is the ladies' washroom,only a woman can commit this crime,so ladies," he turned his attention to Anima and Arline " can you tell me what you were doing at the time of the crime? 11 to 12 PM precisely."

"uh? how _dare_ you! are you accusing me!" Anima said

"N-no,you see if you tell me where you were,I can establish your alibi and this way we'll have fewer suspects" he backed away,hands raised in defeat

"well,I was at the beach with my husband,I only left at about 11:20 to go to the washrooms,but I didn't realize the victim was there,I just showered and left. I know of the time because I asked my husband who had a waterproof wristwatch,because I felt like we've been in the water too long."

Richard nodded and looked at Anima "I-I went to the bathroom sometime before these girls screamed" She looked at Rachel and Kristin "I can't tell you when exactly,though.

"oh,I saw you get in the washroom,I think that was 23 minutes to 12," Mrs. Blake said "My husband came out of the washroom and told me what time it was"

"so it was about 11:37 AM,but can I ask why your husband came from the washroom later than you?" Richard asked

"it doesn't really matter,old man" Conan said "the criminal wasn't necessarily a woman."

"what?! how do you know that you brat!" Richard yelled,hitting Conan on the head.

"hey!" he grumbled

"we know cuz there are footprints on the outside of the window,and the inside had bump marks,so I our culprit came from the back,located the victim,and through a weapon he already prepared,tied with rope, he hit the victim's head, by throwing the weapon at her hard enough to cause a spontaneous death,then he pulled the rope,so the weapon was pulled back through the window. the bump marks are evidence of this method," Harley explained

"and the footprint is evidence that the attacker was never inside,but outside,climbing the window." Conan continued

Evelin Blake came running to the scene,yelling Moore's name "Mr. Moore, !"

"what's it,man?" Harley asked

"the phone lines were cut,and the wooden bridge's been severed,it's no longer safe to cross,it's about to collapse!"

"Dammit! so we're _stranded_?!" Harley yelled

"Y-yes,we are"

"you sure there's no other way to the neighboring town?" Conan asked

"No,there isn't,I asked Mr. Mizushima,he assured me there's no other way"

Conan and Harley stared at each other for a moment,as if communicating,then Conan said "Okay,everyone gather at the mess hall,no one leaves"

* * *

"you can't keep us here like caged animals!" Kobe Tyler yelled "I'm leaving!" Tyler got up to the door

"me too,dear!" Anima followed him

"No,no. you can't leave,man!" Harley told him,blocking his path

"The criminal is someone here among us, and-" Conan was interrupted though

"If there really is a murderer on the loose, comrades, then why,prey tell,do you let him mix with us? instead you can tell each one of us to go to his room,and thus when you expose the murderer,he won't have a hostage to use." Vladimir said

"quite the contrary,the murderer trapped us here. he can cut the phone lines to stop us from calling the police, but then if people leave,he can make his escape. so why did he trap us?" Conan asked,even though he knows the answer

"it's cuz the murderer ain't done killin'." Harley explained "he trapped us here,cuz he's still gonna kill someone here,and he won't let 'im escape 'im"

"what?" Amethyst asked " and the murderer is with us in _this_ very room?"

"are you frikin' _crazy_?!" Kobe yelled in frustration,grabbing Harley's collar

"Get yer hand off me,man!" Hartwell yelled,throwing Tyler's hand away "if each one 'f us went to his own room,he can easily be targeted,we need t'stay in one group!"

"he won't attack when there are so many of us" Conan further explained "each and every one of us must stay in _this_ very room,not a _single_ person can leave until we reveal the culprit."

"hey..." Richard started "why do I feel like something's not _right_?" he looked around the room

"hey,where's that weird skinny guy in a black coat and long white hair?..." Evelin asked "...or was it blond

Conan looked in complete shocked,like he'd seen a creepy,evil ghost of a serial murderer who wants to...well you get the point: it was a ghost creepier than any other. ' _Gin?! here?! No!'_ he thought while still keeping his panicked face _'No...it can't be him! I've seen the guy,that wasn't Gin,and he wouldn't just appear to the public like...well actually he'd appear to the public no problem,but that guy wasn't him...'_

"Hmm...it would seem we found our killer." Vlad accused

"how dya know that?" Harley asked "just cuz the man looks suspicious doesn't give ya the right to accuse him!"

"Just think of it,Detective." Vlad replied "He's suspicious. he looked suspicious,he acted suspicious,and now he's nowhere to be found,isn't that something the culprit would like to avoid,being with the detectives? Comrade,it's all evidence that he's the killer we speak of."

"It makes _perfect_ sense!" Richard claimed.

"no,we'd be rushing things..." Came Conan's voice " for all we know he could be another victim to the real killer"

"Kristin,Rachel,old man, stay with the rest,I'll go with Conan to search for that guy." Harley ordered

"No! it's _too_ dangerous!" Rachel refused "at least let me go with you."

"Fine, as long as ya act like a Karate _champion_ instead of a damsel in _distress_!" Harley said

"okay." Rachel said strictly.

"I'll go with." Vladimir requested

"No." Conan refused " _potential_ suspects don't get to leave this room."

"Hey,ya better not be the killer!" Harley addressed Vlad "if somethin' happens to Kristin,yer done for,so protect her!"

" _Harley_..." Kristin said,not knowing whether to be annoyed or embarrassed

"I can be a totally different guy if my followers are in danger!"

" _Harleyyy!~_ " she definitely knew how to feel now,she pierced him in the eyes,if looks could hurt,then Harley would've died!

* * *

They searched for the certain weirdo that disappeared, the guys kept on their cool while walking around in the night breeze. Rachel though,was another matter completely. the great all-mighty was trembling from fear,the fear that the murderer would jump at her or her friends, so she stayed in a fighting stance,ready to strike. she kept jumping,twitching and turning around like the paranoid girl she currently was. but after an hour of search they came back empty handed.

hours later it was decided that everyone go to their rooms and lock the doors and windows carefully; people needed to sleep,and they couldn't deny it any longer,but they couldn't deny the fact that if they sleep they may never wake up.

after securing the perimeter, most people went to sleep except for Harley and Conan who were taking turns guarding the girls,and the sleuth...

 _ZZZ..._

* * *

The next day...

"YAAAWW..." Kristin yawned,Rachel woke up soon after "'mornin' Rachel."

"Good morning" Rachel replied sleepily.

 _The girls soon changed clothes,and no. I won't mention the details. :P_

"That was a good night's sleep,huh Rachel?" Kristin said, moving for the door "aww...their so sweet." She had been greeted by the sight of two men,sleep-sitting to the wall,beside each other.

"Aww...they've been guarding us all night." Rachel realized "hey Kristin,help me get Conan to my bed

Kristin nodded,and together picked Conan to Rachel's bed to sleep more comfortably,then Harley on Kristin's. they _do_ deserve some sleep, don't they?

"okay,let's go gather everyone else." Rachel said,then left for the other doors that weren't vacant,Kristin going the opposite direction

10...

9...

8...

7...

6...

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

" _Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!_ " Came the Kristin's scream.

Rachel,and many others,including Conan and Harley, who were woken up by the scream,ran to the girl's screeching voice. the guys weren't even given a chance to realize they were sleeping on the girls' beds!

Kristin was on the floor,starring at two blood-red beds. they were soaked with it. Kobe Tyler and Anima Addison were on _those_ very beds,murdered.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	2. Love Kills: Part 2

"That ain't good..." Harley whispered

"oh no...it's that murderer,he's gonna kill us all!" Amethyst panicked

"that psycho! he's insane!" Arline yelled

"that's got to be it, that weirdo killed them all!" her husband accused.

"That's... logical." Orlov said

"NOBODY PANICS!" Rachel yelled,a serious tone in her voice. "please"

"yeah,if we panic,the murderer can...YAAAAAWN" Harley yawned mid-sentence, Conan yawned after him "easily...attack us."

"Don't panic,everything will be fine,we just-" Kristin was interrupted

"WE _HEARD_ THAT BEFORE,AND NOW THOSE TWO _DIED_!" Amethyst cried.

"Don't worry," Richard finally spoke " I, Richard Moore, will find that murderer before he even plans his next move!"

"yeah,right! as if!" Evelin took his wife by hand "C'mon honey,we're going to our room."

"that's not a good idea." Conan said "the murderer forced his way into the victims' room,so you won't be safe there. it's safer if we're together." he stood in his path,with all the energy he had.

"it's safer with other people honey,please,let's stay here."

"NO! we're _going_ " he pushed Conan aside and dragged his wife along

"I'm leaving too!" Green exclaimed,leaving for her room

Conan sighed,getting up

"Conan,you should get some rest..." Rachel addressed Conan

"you to Harley" Kristin said

"I DON'T NEED ANY!" they both snapped in unison. Harley said something more like 'I ain't needingf any!' though

"Hey,Hartwell,let's go search for the suspect one more time." Conan suggested

"yeah,sure." Harley agreed "Let's go then,man"

"again?" Richard asked

"I'm coming with!" Rachel ordered

"Me too!" said kristin

"wow,wow,wow. easy there girls,someone needs t'stay here with the others...or well" he sighed,pinching the bridge of his nose "what's left of 'em" he said looking at Vladimir

"I don't care,I'm going with you!" Kristin said.

"Rachel?" Conan asked her

"no,I'm coming too."

"I'll stay here,then" Richard said

"then there's nothing we can do about it. come on,let's go" Conan left,the rest of the group following.

* * *

The gang kept on searching,going from place to place,trying to find any hiding place they might have missed on their last attempt. They went for the severed bridge,it was cut from their side,not the other. That means the the murderer is still here. Conan realized something was stuck to the cliff,but something was off. before he could pinpoint it,the lunatic,though hardly identified,if it weren't for his black clothes and long hair, attacked Rachel from behind. she tried to dodge,but he sprained her shoulder with the rock he had in his hand. Rachel screamed, attracting the company's attention,and the attention of a soul long lost: Jimmy. The shady murderer dressed in black was staring at everyone,he was panicking,didn't know what to do. he was planing in killing the girl,then escaping,but instead was greeted by reflexes faster than originally anticipated. he knew how dangerous Rachel was,and he tried to eliminate that danger,but failed. he saw another opportunity though, and took his chances. it was his best choice,though Harley predicted that move,and so jumped towards Kristin,the flying rock,that the killer had thrown, hitting his head in the process. Rachel tried to kick him,but she couldn't balance herself while holding her sprained shoulder,so the Murderer in black easily threw her back,intending to throw her of the cliff. Jimmy,however, thought threw his glasses at the retreating man,which was a futile attempt,but distracting him long enough to run towards Rachel,pulling her back, ultimately falling on the floor,Rachel over him. the creep cursed under his breath,and made for his escape.

Conan stared at Rachel's face,who was still lying over him. She stared back, at Jimmy's face. she felt like Conan was Jimmy. not _like_ him,he _is_ him. Rachel snapped out of it, got got up next. she kept thinking about the ten-year-old theory, though will she ever learn?

 _'could he really be...NO! Jimmy died a long time ago! it can't be.'_ she stared at Conan as he carried Harley behind his back,yelling something to Kristin,who in turn ran over to where he had pointed,but she didn't really focus on anything but Conan himself.

She watched him run towards the mess hall,even though he couldn't do any more than walk with Harley's weight over him, and his own sleepiness. weather Conan was actually Jimmy or not,one thing was for sure,they shared the same traits that made Jimmy the great man he once was. Some feelings were crawling up to her heart,though she didn't know what they were,she just wanted to deny them,throw them away.

She finally decided to follow Conan to help him,forgetting her own shoulder.

"Let me help you." Rachel suggested

"But Rachel,you're hurt!"

"I'm in a better condition than Harley!" she claimed. as she took Harley's arm and carried it over her shoulders,she felt a great pain,even greater than the one she ignored. Conan saw her wince in pain,but she got over it and moved on.

They walked over to the mess hall,carrying Harley,who's head was slowly dropping blood. the hit was so hard,he started bleeding. with every step they took,Rachel's shoulder hurt,like someone was stepping on it, and it couldn't help that Harley's arm was resting on her shoulder. she didn't really know why,but she felt safe and secure, like she always did around Jimmy,so she didn't really care.

* * *

Some time later...

Rachel's chest,shoulder and arm were wrapped in bandage,and Harley's head was too. jimmy...or rather Conan,was in the worst condition of all,mentally anyway. he was about to lose to dear friends today!

 _Flashback!_

 _Kristin found Conan and Rachel,and taking out some bandages,she started rolling it around Harley's head,that was bleeding from one of the sides. Evelin Blake was running behind her,when he saw she was handling him perfectly: cleaning the wound and such,he walked to where his blood was coming from,after seeing and calculating the amount of fallen blood,he came back to report. "Don't worry," he told the worrying Kristin,sitting beside Harley,crying and begging he'd live. "I'm a doctor,from what I could see -though I can' t be certain without the necessary equipment- he hasn't lost too much blood...but..." he examined Harley's wounded head,removing the bandage to take a look and then said as he re-bandaged his head "he'll be fine,though the hit to his head was strong,he may stay unconscious for a while."  
_

 _"Really? thank god!" Kristin said,relieved._

 _"I just hope that doesn't lead to a coma"_

 _Blake turned his attention over to Rachel,who's shoulder was broken. She wrapped her arm in a piece of cloth. "your shoulder is broken."_

 _"yeah" nodded and gave him a hurt smile_

 _"you know,you're doing this the wrong way, let me help" he stood up,took some extra bandages,took the piece of cloth away,and wrapped the bandages around her chest in a weird,clinical way,that I wouldn't know of since I never broke my shoulder. the doctor told her not to move her back at all,and that, after this whole incident is dealt with,he'd like to take an X-ray._

Conan sighed,looking at the ground, Harley almost died,and Rachel almost died twice,breaking her shoulder in the process! _'That was a close one...it could've been worse,but it also could've been better!'_ he thought. _'_ _That crazed murderer! that l-lunatic, **murderer!** he's insane!' _ He looked over at Rachel,who was trying to rest on the bed. she was unable to bend her back due to the wood plank on her back. on the bed he was sitting on was Harley,it's been two hours but he's not awake yet! _'that psycho will **pay!** I'll see to it myself!' _ he decided,getting up and leaving to look for evidence.

He arrived at the site of the attempted murder,seeing a footprint, _'it looked like someone was trying not to fall of that cliff.'_ he deduced

he also saw a piece of cloth,it was the same material as the murderer's black coat. he went over to the attacker's footprint from earlier,that was somewhat preserved. he inspected it,then compared it to the other one. _'now I know what's going on! we were played! but who?"_

* * *

 _Conan runs to Rachel's rescue,pulling her towards him as fast as he can,preventing her from falling of the cliff,instead falling on the ground,after Conan...no,Jimmy? he lost balance and he fell,pulling her with him on top of her. She stared at his face for as long as she could before getting up._

She couldn't get the image out of her head,she just couldn't!

 _'is he really... no!"_ she shook her head violently,she remembered _that_ tale all too well ,she'd doubt Conan a lot and every time he'd wind up crying,after somehow proving to her they weren't the same guy

 _'why do I keep_ saying _that?!'_ she asked herself _'it's not even possible for Jimmy to shrink 10 years,and even if he could,how did he meet me as Jimmy those dozen of times after they 'adopted' Conan? that's absurd!'_

 _'I-I miss you jimmy...why did you have to leave?'_ She started crying

 _'why?...why don't you tell me?!...why did you...zzz' she cried herself to sleep._

* * *

Conan goes to the shoe locker -though the Japanese one ain't a 'locker' per-se- and checked everyone's shoes.

 _'the fallen victim's footprint matches that of the suspicious figure's,but I can't find the other pair of shoes...'_ he searches around,till he gives up _'I can't tell by the size; from the weight of the murderer's prints,I'd say he's wearing shoes that don't fit his feet,they would_ probably _be two inches shorter than they look,but that's not enough of a lead...'_

Conan walks back to the room where the patients were,Harley was still unconscious on the left bed,and Rachel was sleeping on the right.

 _' **Damn!** Come on Hartwell,wake up!' _he thought,looking at him,then he turned his attention towards Rachel,and all the rage that was screaming,threatening to kill that murderer,faded away. he felt pain run though him,but not physical pain,mental pain. he could only do so much,and now her shoulder's bruised.

 _'I'm sorry Rachel. I'm always harming you somehow...I'm sorry.'_

* * *

 _Rachel was dressed in the prettiest red dress she had,red always was her favorite color,and even though people kept dying in front of her,spilling their blood on her,she never really betrayed the color. she remembered searching through her closet for half an hour,for the perfect dress,and here it was. She went downstairs,to the streets,were her boyfriend was taking her on a date to a luxurious restaurant. She could tell he was staring in amazement as soon as he was able to see her. The boyfriend was dressed in a tuxedo:a shining blue Jacket, matching blue pants,and a contrasting red bow-tie. of course,in a matter of seconds,he snapped out of it,smiled,and lead her to a cab.  
_

 _the restaurant was beautiful,the food was unique and delicious,or at least that's what she recalled. she could only see a table with a faded pink colored cloth on it,on the table was a candle stand,with three candles in it. it was very romantic, she recalled. She sat on her chair,and the boyfriend sat on his._

 _She could tell they were talking for some time, but she couldn't really remember what they were saying,or anything for the matter. She could only tell that she was having a romantically romantic date with Conan._

 _'wait... **CONAN?!** '_

 _"Rachel...I-I love you" he said reluctantly_

 _'what? what's gotten into you Conan,you're just-'_

 _Out of the blue,Rachel found herself replying,and she couldn't stop herself from saying: " me too,Conan."_

 _the couple leaned forward,closed their eyes,and with every second,she could tell Conan's lips were getting closer to hers..._

"NOOOO!" Rachel screamed,trying to get up from bed,but she couldn't,due to her condition.

"Rachel,what is it?" Conan asked,after being violently awoken. it was about 5 pm,and Conan had decided to take a nap beside Rachel,while sitting. after all,he didn't have enough sleep yesterday.

 _'oh,it was...just a dream.'_ She thought,and sighed deeply. "Don't worry C-" She paused, her dream transmitted chills up her spine. "C-Conan. it's just a dream"

"O-okay." he said,he felt like he new what the dream was about,like he's passed down this lane all too many times. though,he was more wrong than he's used to

* * *

"U-unh..." Harley groaned,walking up. he felt pain in his head,and held it with his hand. he couldn't really remember what happened before he fell asleep"Uh...what da hell happened?"

"Harley!" Kristin cried when she realized he was awake and fine,running towards him,tackling him with a big hug

he was about to ask her what the whole commotion was about,but he remembered the danger he saved her from.

 _'musta' fell unconscious or somethin' '_ "ah,it's okay Kristin,everythin's fine! Just stop-"

"it's not fine! I was afraid you'd die or wind up in a coma or somethin'!" she burst into tears,you know the cats and dogs idiom,dear reader? well she was probably crying cats and dogs.

"B-but... I didn't...hey I'm here now,it's okay." he tried to comfort her

"but what if it wasn't,what if ya...died?" she sniffed.

"well,I'd die for ya,then" he smirked,Kristin was speechless, she tried to rub away her tears,but they just kept flowing

"this ain't gonna do, Harely"

"what,why? if I've to-"

"you can't die cuz I love ya you idiot!" She yelled her confession at him,still unable to believe she just did. her whole head went red from embarrassment,at what she forced herself to admit,but she couldn't back down. she forced herself to stop crying and stared at him,preparing herself for his reply. Rachel and Conan were surprised at the sudden confession,but not any more than Harley himself.

 _'Sh-she loves me...'_

 _'so,the girl you love_ does _love you back!'_ Conan thought

 _'I love you too...'_ he thought,but when saying it, "I-I...yuv'lloo..." he mumbled something else entirely

 _'That idiot...'_ Conan tried his best not to facepalm "wouldn't want to spoil this moment but,I need Harley's help on the case. Kristin,can you help Rachel get up? let's go Harley"

Conan goes out to the hall,the detective of the west following him.

"hey man,already? I just recovered!" He whispered to Conan's ear

"you should be thanking me,I saved you from one bad situation here!"

"yeah?...guess so. So? you got anythin'?"

"yeah..." Conan stayed silent for a bit "That man in black...he was dead long before whoever that is who attacked us,attempted murder."

"what? the sole,lead suspect is dead? how d'ya know?"

"there were two footprints,one was of a person wearing shoes too large for him,the murderer" if it were stormy,they would've heard thunder,but it wasn't. "the other is of similar size,but the print itself is different...that one had its back facing the cliff. and there are signs he was pushed,slipped and fell to the river below. there's a piece of cloth,it's the same texture and color as that original man's coat." he took said piece of cloth out of his pocket.

"so who is the murderer?"

"well,I believe the murderer asked that man here,probably,for some type of transaction,so he'd have to hide,and dress like that. he tells him they'll exchange whatever they will here,throw him of the cliff,and kill others under the guise that he's a psycho serial killer...but it also could've been random."

"...so that means..."

"yeah,the killer has a motive; someone coming with a plan like this,even if it was improvised,can't be random. he won't just kill people without reason,though he is insane to kill all those people just to get to his target."

"so who is he?"

"huh?"

"who's the murderer,the damn frikin' murderer?!" Harley exploaded

"Donno yet."

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Harley,Harley! take it easy,it's only a matter of time...but well I've narrowed the suspects down to two people,Evelin and Vladimir."

"huh,why?"

"I couldn't really tell but,the footprints were too heavy to belong to a woman. that means only Vladimir and Evelin could be the murderers."

They walk past Richard,who was in the mess hall. he was sitting and seemed depressed.

* * *

 _'How could I let this happen...I got my own daughter in danger for going to that damn inn! and that Hartwell kid too...'_ Richard thought,not too long ago.

ever since he's been sitting there,trying to figure out who the culprit is.

"oh,Hartwell,you're awake." Richard said with relief

"yeah,just woke up...oh what happened to Rach by the way?"

"She bruised her shoulder" Conan replied

"uh...I just can't solve this case...Damn it!" Richard snapped "I kept thinking and thinking,but it's no use"

"well you won't get much thinking,you need to investigate more. I found a lot of stuff investigating."

"really? like what?"

then Evelin,Arline, and Amethyst came over,Amethyst was feeling lonely and unsecure,so the married couple decided to escort her to the mess hall.

Things were as normal as they can be,until the girls screamed. Conan just smiled,while Harley ran to the girls. Conan ran shortly after.

Harley arrived to see the same murderer at the girls' door,kitchen knife in hand.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" he yelled the other guy just smirked

Conan arrived,looked at the guy in black,and smirked.

"Pretty reckless,aren't you?" Conan adressed the guy who,in turn, gave him a questioning look

"Stop with that play of yours already,Mr. psycho...or should I say,Vladimir Orlov?" everyone -who had arrived shortly after Conan- looked at him,surprised "you tried to kill someone here,and thought you'd mask it with yet another unrelated murder. so you did the following,follow your target to were they were going,then ask an illegal dealer,a drug dealer maybe, to come over here. naturally he'd try to hide his identity,and so looks suspicious, your dealer just so happened to have long hair,so you were able to disguise yourself further as him,once you threw him from the meeting location,and a plan like this is possible for someone who's been here before. you killed innocent people,to kill me,and my friends,without getting caught,and yet it's ironic that this very plan is what got you caught. but what I still don't get,why do you want to kill me?"

Slow,mischievous laughter started rising "Heh heh heh ha! you? why'd I want to kill _you_?"

"So,you gonna explain?" Harley asked

The man took off his scarf, ice cap, and wig, to reveal Vlad " Moore,you killed my brother,now I want vengeance!"

"what? I don't even know you!" Richard replied

"he asked you to find whoever it was who wanted to kill him,but you failed! and then after you caught that murderer,you laughed like you made made a great deal! I had to make you feel what it _means_ to lose someone you love dearly! so I installed listening devices in the agency,and the rest...is as your assistant claimed. "

 _'I'm seventeen years old again and they still think I'm that fool's assistant?!'_

Everyone was speechless,especially Richard. He really was the reason Rachel was badly hurt after all. Sometimes he wonders what good does he make in life,it always seems like he's making life worse,not better. He _had_ to change that! he had to _change_!

"Now every one put your hands on your heads!" Vlad took a pistol out of a hidden pocket and aimed it at the crowd,that panicked at the sight of the weapon. their panic made Vlad smirk "always save the best card for last!"

"No you DON'T!" Richard yelled,charging at Vlad,who shot his shoulder. it happened so fast he barely had time to react. before he could pull the trigger another time,he was pushed out of balance. As Vlad fell,an object flew off him,but it wasn't the gun,that Vlad aimed at the fallen detective. before he could shoot,Conan kicked the pistol to a safe distance away. Harley kicked his head,rendering him unconscious

"now we're even." Harley said

"Dad!"

"No, don't!" Blake ordered "I'm a doctor,I'll handle this. I need a med-kit,some..." Rachel was no longer listening,her heart was beating so fast,her legs felt so weak...

"Rachel!" Conan yelled,running for his girl as she fell to unconsciousness.

* * *

Rachel woke up to find herself in a white room on a bed. she no longer felt the plank on her back,and the wrapping felt different. she got up to see no one in her room but her. _'what happened?'_ she wondered,then she remembered. _'Dad!'_ She jumped off the bed and ran for the door. the nurse who was walking by was surprised one of their patients was running frantically without escort.

"Miss,please miss calm down" the nurse stood in her way and tried to stop her,but Rachel went on

"please,my father was shot,I have to find him" Rachel cried

"Please calm down. what's your father's name?"

"Richard...Richard Moore..." she managed to utter those lines in between he cries

"well,if you please return to your room and wait for someone to escort you to your father. panic won't solve anything. honey, you're in a hospital and I'm sure your father is okay." Rachel stared at her,as if staring at a beam of hope. "please just return to your room and rest."

"O-okay..." Rachel retraced her steps to where she believes is the room she was sleeping in and waited on the bed,there she found a note,or rather a letter,that she didn't see the first time,it said:

 __ Dear Rachel,_

 __There's so much I've always wanted to tell you,but so little words to describe them. I have always been by your side,but never told you. Betrayed you,yet you never knew. I hid from you,and every time you tried to find me,I filled the void between us with lies and half-truths. I'm sorry Rachel. For some reason as long as I'm near you,you are hurt,be it the pain of me being so far away from you,or physical pain,like the bruising of your shoulder. I always have to save you from one threat or other,but only after the damage cannot be undone. I determined that the safest you could be,is as far away from me. live your regular life,don't let Serena's teasing dissuade you,and love,but not me. love someone normal,who wouldn't put you in danger in one way or other. who could,unlike me, keep you safe. who,unlike me,would not hide lies,would not pretend to be someone else,would be honest to you. I love you,if you love me back,don't. have mercy on yourself, don't let me punish you._

 __ Sincerely,Jimmy_Kudo._

* * *

"So you are djust going to leave?" the old, german professor asked

"yes,so will you help me or not?!" Jimmy replied

"Face it,Kudo. You've got nowhere to go." Vi stated "it's either here or back at the Moores'."

"She's right,Djimmy. Vhy don't you djust stay here,if you're sure you don't vant to..."

"What's the use anyway...I'll just go live with my parents."

Vi was shocked by this,if Kudo just leaves,then who will expose the black organization? "what about the organization?! what about our deal?!"

"...If you're afraid of them well the FBI can help you with that,just leave me alone,will you?!"

"this isn't about me! don't you get it Kudo? if the drug is perfected,there won't be any FBI,nor America,nor Japan, nor any president,law enforcer,king or senate. When those men have such a drug in their disposal,whoever stands in their way will be no more. That's why we have to stand in their way _now_ when they can't perform a perfect crime"

Jimmy stared at Vi,he knew she was right but he had enough of this.

"you speak like you _haven't_ been fighting a _war_ in the last _ten_ years!"

"Your choice...Edogawa." She left for the lab furiously.

* * *

Back at the hospital, a man in a white coat was walking through a hallway,a woman in a suit was following him. upon entering Rachel's room,that woman,who was Ava Moore, ran for her daughter.

"Oh Rachel!" she tackled her with a hug. she hugged her like a child holding a once lost doll. "Rachel,what happened? Who did this to you?"

"I'm okay mom,I've just bruised my shoulder but I'm okay. dad was shot,what happened to him?"

"he's okay sweety."

"The operation is successful, but he's still sleeping." the doctor said

"tell me, what happened? Ava asked

"It's a long story...but...where's Conan?" Rachel asked, she had to find Conan,she had to find Jimmy

"I don't know,dear. he wasn't there when I arrived. Hartwell was there,though. he excused himself and left,he said it was getting late and that he had to take Kristin back."

"Oh. Okay" Rachel frowned,there's probably going to be no way to find him.

"Don't worry,Rachel. Conan's probably back at the agency." she lied. she knew something was wrong;it wasn't like him to leave Rachel when she was in a hospital. "now let's go dear,you need to rest. Richard will be okay,we can come back in the morning."

"O-okay." Both mother and daughter got in Ava's car. while she drove,Rachel couldn't help but think about Jimmy,and how to find him,but there was no place she could look for him at. aside from professor Agasa's house,but that would be too obvious for someone who wants to hide from someone who knows him too well,even if not well enough.

"Mom,can we drop by Agasa's there's something I want to ask him." She lied,for some reason she hid Jimmy's secret even though he didn't ask her to.

"Sure..."

Minutes later,the car parked at Agasa's. said professor recognized the car,and sweat dropped. _'That girl is persistent!'_

seconds later the bell rang

"I'll anser!" Agasa claimed. when he opened the door,he saw the girl he expected to see,in better condition than when he saw her on the hospital bed."oh,Rachel,you've recovered!"

"Hi,professor. is Conan here?"

Agasa had to choose between two decisions: tell her no,like Jimmy would want,or say yes like he should,because it's the truth. "actually...ya. he's here. you should go talk to him. he's really depressed."

"Okay. thank you professor."

The inventor of weird machines let her pass,and stared at her,deep in thought

 _'you'll thank me for zis later,Djimmy. I hope.'_

Rachel found Jimmy as soon as she entered the living room, he was standing there,hands in pockets. his body looked towards her,but his face wasn't. he was waiting for her,but he couldn't face her.

"Don't leave." She asked,straight to the point.

"No,I can't." he replied.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm a danger to you! I can't stay around and hurt you anymore! and...I can't imagine how you could live your life after knowing I lied to you for over 10 years."

"Jimmy..."

"I can't allow myself to hurt you anymore! Sorry,Rach. Jimmy really is dead."

"But...but...but you _can't_ leave because if you do then you'll hurt me! Don't you get it Conan,You hurt me because you were always running away! you can't save me by running away some more!"

Jimmy's silence encouraged herself to say more "I don't _care_ how old you are! I still love _you_! weather you're wearing glasses and calling yourself Conan or wearing a hat and calling yourself Holmes...weather you're being you or pretending to be somebody else,it still _you_ ,and I love _you_! so you can't go away because no matter what you call it you'll still hurt me. because I love you. so please don't leave."

Jimmy was rendered speechless. she fully confessed in front of him,and what she said did make sense,he no longer felt like the detective who knows everything. he felt like a normal man.

"I...don't know if _I_ can face you after all I've done..."

"You _can_. I forgive you. you must've had a good reason to hide this from me. "

"Rachel...I'm so sorry for wasting the last ten years."

"So? are you staying?" She asked

"I guess I am. Can't leave you all alone can I?"

She ran for him hugging him tightly,saying "welcome back...Conan."

"I guess I am" he said while hugging her back.

"Vouldn't Vant to interrupt you couples, but za hospital called,zey said Richard's avake. let's go meet him." Agasa said,interrupting the moment.

Eagerly,they rushed for the cars,and after a matter of minutes they were all at the hospital: Rachel,Conan,Ava,Agasa,and Even Vi. when they met Richard on the bed,he was a bit weak,but alive. the various equipments were now removed,and he was resting on a bed that felt like any bed.

"will you look at that. I got hit so bad even my wife visited me." He said weakly with a smile,when realizing his wife was present.

"This is hardly a time for jokes,Moore." she replied coldly,but deep inside,she was happy he was alive.

"I'm glad you're okay,uncle." Conan said

"Vee all are." the Professor continued.

"What happened anyway? the last thing I remember was getting shot at then I zoned out. weren't we stranded?"

"oh. well we knocked the guy unconscious. during the fight something fell of him. it was a phone. we used it to contact the cops and the hospital. Mr. Blake saved you though,you owe him one."

"I sure do...sorry,dear...for getting you into that mess. if stupid old me was more careful..." he told Rachel

"No dad,don't say that! it's not your fault!" she replied

 _'yeah,it really isn't his fault...it's mine. I'm sorry Richard.'_

"So what _did_ happen? I want to hear the _whole_ story. I'm all ears." Ava said,with scorching hot fire in her eyes. Agasa sweatdropped,and Conan 'felt the burn'.

"Well..." Conan started

"You see..." Richard tried to continue

"the thing is..." Rachel tried to help,but they were all atempts

"I'll...go now. Vouldn't...want to interrupt your family reunion. bye" Agasa Ran,Vi following him,but slowly. it might be him,but Conan could've swore he saw her smirk.

 _'that damn..._ _'_

and that's how the rest of the night went,explaining what happened to Ava,without ticking her off.

* * *

The next morning was a bright one,Conan woke up to the smell of bacon,their breakfast done by Rachel. Richard wasn't with them,he was still at the hospital,so they opened up to each other.

"So...what shrank you like that,is that even possible?" Rachel asked

Conan looked around a bit then answered in a low voice,while keeping their heads as close to each others as possible so she could hear "apparently yes,there is a way. remember the first time I left? when you first met Conan?"

"oh yeah,I kinda remember that day...wait...didn't I confess to you that day?!"

"uh...well,my point is..." he regained his composure "Remember those 2 shady men in black?"

"N-no,not really."

"well I do. they were doing some kinda shady transaction,I was spying on them but one of them saw me and hit me in the back of my head. he drugged me. the drug was experimental,it was supposed to kill me without leaving a trace,but instead...instead it did this.

" those guys were a part of a large organization, I ran home but I couldn't reach the doorknob. incidentally I found professor Agasa. after proving I was really Jimmy, he advised me not to tell anyone,then you came,and I had to come up with a name before it was too late.

"then Hartwell found me out,then Agasa told my parents,then I met another agent of the-"

"wait wait wait! Agasa told you not to tell anyone,then he told your parents?"

"I know, right?! but to be honest I'm not really sure that's what happened...been so long..."

"but...how did I talk to you on the phone all those times,how did I meet you? and Conan was sometimes there."

"well that was either Vi or Kid. Agasa made me a voice changer,and Vi made me some temporary cures."

"wait,Vi making you cures? how?"

"well you'll have to ask her. not my secret."

"that sounds like a lot of science fiction."

"If only you knew!"

"are you responsible for the 'Sleeping Sleuth'?"

"yeah...it...it is,pretty much."

"well I'm glad you finally trust me."

"wait,I thought you and Kid were rivals"

"That guy's mind is a _maze_! Even I don't understand him!"

"well...we should go get dad."

"yeah we should"

the couple got up and left,having finished their meals,to get Rachel's father,and Conan's 'uncle'. they left for the hospital,hand in hand.

and so,Jimmy never did get a cure,and the war against the Black Organization waged on,but with a new ally in their disposal,one who finally found her loved one. one who was strong enough to turn the tides...

"is it Karate?"

No,Conan,my friend,it's not Karate.

* * *

 _ **Finally done! I started this story 3 months ago,so part 1 may clash with part 2. I'll fix that later. very later. enjoy this version as much as you can,and excuse my mistakes. constructive criticize appreciated,and even if I don't seem to read them,I actually do**_


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